Black Forest Yule Log Cake

Yule logs are such a fun Christmas cake and make the perfect centerpiece for your holiday table! This Black Forest Yule Log Cake has all the yumminess of black forest cake, with a simple creamy filling of whipped cream and canned cherries, all rolled up in a swiss roll log cake, and covered in creamy chocolate ganache.

This Black Forest Log Cake recipe was inspired by my black forest trifle and is popular at Christmas. It pairs well with any Christmas dinner but goes great with a turkey dinner or ham dinner.

🥘Ingredient Notes

You will need the following ingredients to make a Black Forest Yule log cake:

• Melted butter. Butter provides richness, tenderness, and structure. * I use unsalted butter because I like to control the salt in my baking.
• All-purpose flour. All-purpose flour in North America has quite of bit of protein so it is strong enough that the cake holds together and retains its shape and memory after it's rolled.
• Unsweetened cocoa. Gives this cake its chocolate flavor without adding weight.
• Heavy cream (whipping cream-33-36%). Heavy cream whips up into delicious whipped cream.
• Canned cherry pie filling. When mixed with whipped cream and chocolate, creates the classic "black forest" flavor. Canned cherry pie filling is also convenient and economical.

*See recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities

📖Variations & Substitutions

• Butter - you can use salted butter instead of unsalted, just leave out the salt in the recipe
• Garnish: you could use a different type of edible garnish (for instance cranberries or regular cherries) or a garnish that isn't edible
• Filling: you could use frosting instead of whipped cream if you wish.

🔪How to Make a Black Forest Yule Log Cake

Although a chocolate sponge cake can be a bit of a challenging cake to make, as the biggest challenge is cracking, in this case, cracking is not an issue. In fact, it's fine if it cracks, as it makes it look more log-like. And you cover the log in chocolate ganache anyway, so any 'blemishes' or mistakes are hidden.

Prep: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees C).

MAKE THE CAKE (STEP 1):Place a large sheet of parchment paper on a 17X12 sheet pan (jelly roll pan) and grease with butter (make sure it's at least an inch or two larger than the jelly roll pan). *It's actually easier to take it off the pan and grease it on a flat surface (counter or table), then put it back on ( Image 1). Bring an inch of water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat (Image 2). Whisk eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl.*you can use a double boiler for this step if you have one (Image 3). Then place over simmering water. Make sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl at any time (Image 4).

MAKE THE CAKE (STEP 1 CONT'D): Using a whisk continually beat the egg mixture until the eggs are thick, pale yellow, and warm to the touch (around 120 degrees F/48 degrees C) It should feel like warm tap water. An instant-read thermometer is the best way to do this. (Image 5). Remove the egg bowl from the heat and continue beating on high speed with an electric mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer) until the mixture is thick and airy, and has reached the ribbon stage.* This means that when you drag and drizzle a spoonful of liquid it shouldn't settle back into the liquid for a good 5-10 seconds (Image 6). Mix in the melted butter with a spoon or spatula (do NOT beat in with a mixer) (Image 7). In a small bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, and salt. (Image 8).

MAKE THE CAKE (STEP 1 CONT'D): Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and gently fold it into the eggs with a spatula (Image 9). You need to be patient doing this -fold gently only mix until combined (or the batter will fall) (Image 10). Spread the batter onto the buttered parchment, leaving approximately an inch from the edges of the parchment (Image 11). Bake the cake in a preheated oven for 8 minutes, until springy to the touch and a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean (Image 12).

ROLL UP THE CAKE (STEP 2): Prepare a new piece of parchment paper by sprinkling it lightly with cocoa powder (Image 13). Flip the cake onto the parchment, then remove the parchment the cake was baked on (Image 14). Gently roll the cake up in the parchment, into a log, while it is still warm. *This is like muscle memory for the cake and it will roll easier again later.* Don't worry if it cracks (it will look more log-like and be covered in ganache anyway) (Image 15). Allow cake to cool in this rolled-up position (Image 16).

MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM (STEP 3 ): Whip the heavy cream in a large bowl until soft peaks form (Image 17). Add vanilla and powdered sugar and whip until stiff peaks form (Image 18). Whip to stiff peaks (Image 19).

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE(STEP 4): Unroll the cooled cake, then spread the cream all over, leaving a one-inch border all around the edges (Image 20). Spread the canned cherries on top of the whipped cream (Image 21). Roll the cake up gently, without the parchment paper this time, and place on a wire rack, with parchment or wax paper underneath (for pouring ganache) (Image 22).

MAKE THE GANACHE (STEP 5): Microwave the whipped cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl for 30-second intervals at ½ power (50%), stirring after each interval until combined. *Alternatively, you could do this in a double boiler (Image 23). Do not overcook this, as the chocolate melts into the whipped cream each time you stir it. If needed: add a tablespoon of milk, which will give some pourable consistency to the ganache (I did not need to do this). (Image 24). Pour the ganache over the cake, spreading with a spatula to cover all of it. Etch lines in the ganache to look like tree bark. You can use a butter knife or a spatula to do this (Image 25). Refrigerate for one hour before serving on a cake platter (or a serving platter), so the ganache can firm up. Garnish with spearmint gummy leaves, and maraschino cherries, and sprinkle powdered sugar on top of the chocolate ganache (Image 26).

🥗 What to serve with a Black Forest Yule Log Cake

If you're looking for an easy turkey recipe, this Crockpot Turkey Breast is a main dish that pairs well with this Yule Log Cake. Baked Beef Cannelloni and Make-Ahead Lasagna also go well with this cake, as does this Easy Cornish Hens recipe (shown).

🌡️Storing a Black Forest Yule Log Cake

Refrigeration: Store leftover yule log cake in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Freezing: You can make the cake in advance and freeze it without the filling (rolled up) in a sealed container. But make sure it is completely defrosted before you unroll it.

Do not freeze leftovers, as whipped cream does not freeze well and will become runny when defrosted.

Make Ahead: You can make this cake 1-2 days in advance and store it in the fridge. Put the holly decorations on just before serving.

👪 Serving Size

This black forest bûche de noël recipe makes 8 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. However, you'll need additional jelly roll pans if you make more than one cake.

❔ Recipe FAQ's